Bantry Bay By Night

Taking landscape and travel shots at night is a fun way of remembering the places we've visited but the best shots require careful thought and planning. While in Ireland, I took the following series of shots which illustrates just how important this timing is. These three images were all taken within 15 minutes of one another but only the first of them is truly satisfactory:







The difference, of course, is in the light in the sky. The wonderful blues and violets make the first image stand out. There's a mere hint of blue in the second shot and none at all in the final image. Arguably, this doesn't matter too much in the second image which is as much about night life in bantry as anything else. But the final image would have been so much stronger had the sky glowed with the deep colours of the first image.

This just shows the importance of planning. Once the sun has set, there are often rich and atmospheric colours in the sky but they give way to pitch black within 20 minutes. So the key is to anticipate - get yourself in the right place for the image you want most, then move very quickly to capture any others you might want before the light disappears. Not that simple, though, when you've just left a restaurant with the children in tow!

There, a free photography lesson for you! Back to wedding and portrait images for my next post, I think. Until then, take care.

David